


Is there any proof it's not there?

by Bujinfidel



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-14
Updated: 2015-07-14
Packaged: 2018-04-09 08:33:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4341536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bujinfidel/pseuds/Bujinfidel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shun wants a butt tattoo. Yuto's going to "bring it to 'em"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Is there any proof it's not there?

**Author's Note:**

> Can you guess why I said the other one was my first "real" fic.  
> It's from a while ago but I don't think it conflicts with any new canon yet

“Yuto, I want a tattoo.”

I raised an eyebrow. Usually not much Shun said could catch me off guard; I was used to him. We've known each other for so long. It wasn't particularly strange that’d he’d ask for one (although I didn't know how exactly he’d get that done, considering he hates people he doesn't know touching him), but with our decision to send me to standard in a few days the request felt a bit out of place.

Shun’s usual steady gaze held me. If there was one thing he was good at it was looking people in the eye. He seemed to be waiting for a verbal reaction so I started by asking, “where?”

His eyes immediately lost their fixation and darted to the side. That was unusual.

 

“That’s…right here.” Shun gestured hesitantly towards his backside.

“Your butt.” I said pretty flatly. I knew laughing would be the wrong reaction here. I also liked to think I was more mature than that. I kept it to myself, but still had to crack a smile, and Shun also knew me well enough to be able to tell that I was holding back.

“I'm serious!” He flared up, but backed down just as quickly. “I've been thinking about it a lot, okay.”

“How much is a lot? It’s permanent you know.”

“Since last night, but I know. I know what I'm doing.”

That was…a bit hard to believe. Shun being one of the most impulsive guys I know, I was a little sceptical. Once he’s in the moment it’s pretty hard to calm him down without... some special treatment. As in a little tap to the gut. I've tried talking him out of things plenty, but he’s stubborn, and in the life or death situations rampant in this city it was so much more reliable than roadside counselling. I did like that about him though. It didn't always get us into trouble and this wasn't life or death, so maybe the benefit of the doubt wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Maybe due to my brief silence Shun started to blurt out his reasoning almost as if he was embarrassed. Almost, but that wasn't it. “Look, I’ll be holding the fort down while you’re gone, right. Even though we still have a few men left it’ll be risky. On both our parts. I'm not saying I’d be captured—I won’t, but I want something…something that they can’t take away from me no matter what, unlike this scarf, or…”

“Or Ruri,” I finished. I took a deep breath, and the air felt heavier just by mentioning her name. He looked stable again, and I definitely wasn't laughing about it any more.

“You too.”

“Yeah.” I didn't really know how to respond to that. I should have thanked him. I was flattered, but it felt a bit like Shun saying that was jinxing it. Not that I would say so to him when he taking this so seriously. I shouldn't have opened my mouth again, because I found myself simply answering, “So, your butt.” For lack of better choices.

That threw Shun off balance. He didn't answer. His nose crinkled but his eyebrows softened.

“Let’s just find a place.”

\---------------------------------

Even though I’d agreed to help it’s not like Heartland was exactly operational.

We wandered in the back streets near the edge of town and came across a few injured children running about. We lead them back to the resistance base just as we would have while on regular reconnaissance. Shun and I had seen these streets a thousand times, but before the attack there hadn't been much reason to use them. After the attack it’d been more useful to memorize landmarks than individual stores, seeing as there was usually reason to move pretty fast when going out. Wandering was probably the right word after all.

It felt a little nice, not rushing for once. Taking in the scenery. Or it would have been nice if this didn't allow more time for the visual evidence of destruction to really sink in.

As we were walking I spotted an overturned O-bot. It was spilling its guts and looked to be out of order. I glanced at Shun and he seemed to be giving me that “Not again, Yuto” look. But there was always something useful to find in these things. As much as I didn't like to admit the flaws of our once proud city, it had been really wasteful. For those of us still around though, it was really something we had to be thankful for. Shun was a bit stuffy about it, but he never complained. Not out loud anyway.

I walked over and fished out a few things we’d usually find and could use. Various wrappers and flammables, some sealed half eaten rice, and a small ripped pouch with nothing in it. Then I noticed a couple permanent markers, one red and one black. I mumbled “This could work” and Shun must have caught on quickly, because he immediately crossed his arms in defiance.

“You can’t be serious,” he snapped.

“Well it’s not like we’re having much luck with any of our other options. Besides, it’s permanent marker, so it should be fine.”

We continued the exchange for a few minutes until Shun was finally willing to give it a try. We’d done crazier things. He finally conceded that this shouldn't be that big a deal if he really wanted it. But as usual getting the last word was a requirement for him.

“You’re a terrible artist.”

“So are you. Red or black?”

“Heart red...” He shot a look that on the surface said something like _Don’t you dare laugh_. Of course, I'm not that _heartless_. Instinctive jokes aside though, I knew he meant for Heartland. I was pretty impressed by how much he’d thought about it after all.

He handed me his Rank-Up Magic Raptor’s Force for reference. I didn't really need it though, I’d seen it in action enough times. It represented the soul of his deck. I was almost tempted to tell him an actual heart would look cuter but I could tell Shun wasn't really in the mood to be called cute.

So there we were, Shun standing far enough out an alley way so that I could see what I was doing, pants down, underwear pulled beneath his lower cheeks. I was trying my best but the marker had clearly been thrown out for a reason; it was leaking heavily. That I hadn't accounted for when I’d sounded so sure of myself a minute ago.

“Yuto…” He could probably feel the cold ink soaking into all the wrong shapes. “are you sure that’s right.”

“Don’t worry.” That was cruel on my part. The top part I’d started on was a squiggly mess. I was determined to get the rest right at least, so I pressed my fingernail to the sides to keep it so only the tip was touching skin. The rest wasn't very sharp or intimidating, but I’d at least managed something you could vaguely recognize as his symbol, maybe.

Shun tried to look at it by twisting his head around both ways, but said he couldn't see properly so he decided to just cover up for now. I think we’d both been a bit distracted by embarrassment because roughly a second after he pulled both garments over his exposed behind Shun and I both jolted upright uttering an “Oh no.”

He pulled it back down and all you could see was a big blotch of red across his skin and underwear. It looked sort of like he’d skidded down an unpaved road. I wasn't exactly planning to tell him that part though.

“How bad is it?” He was flushed and probably thought it was his fault.

“Let’s just…focus on getting this washed off.”

“I thought you said it wouldn't come off? That was the point.”

“Well, we won’t know until we try. Unless you’re liking having half a cherry tomato for a backside.”

“Of course not!” From the tone of his voice I would have almost guessed he was going to cry, if he hadn't have been Shun, anyway.

I felt terrible. He apologized for ruining my hard work, which was rare for him. That must have meant this whole ordeal really meant a lot. I thought about the conversation before as I scrubbed the marker off with some leaves from a nearby drainage pipe. By the time I was done I couldn't tell if his butt was red from the marker or the scrubbing but it seemed good enough. We could look at it again later.

\------------------------------------

Shun sulked the entire way back to base, probably also bothered by the rawness of his hide.

It was getting late but he didn't want to just give up after all that. Frankly I didn't either, being pretty darn responsible for it. We should have just asked around base to begin with but I could understand not wanting to publicize what you’re putting on your butt. It might have been easier if he’d just chosen his arm or something. But he did have his own reasoning for everything else so I figured he would with this. I asked again.

“It was just, so I could choose who I wanted looking at it.” That answer came out surprisingly easy compared to before. I guess it couldn't get any more humiliating than what had happened out in the alley. Still—

“Why couldn't you have just gotten one on the bottom of your foot or something?”

“ _Please_ , Yuto. Who gets a tattoo on their foot?” I wasn't going to argue this time, my thing was more about the jewellery, I guess I wouldn't know. _So I could choose who I wanted looking at it_ , though. As I thought about it more I got the feeling I was included in that—being the artist of course. Aside from that it did lift my mood a bit and help to feel more fired up about continuing.

So I asked some of the refugees under our care. We received plenty of confused looks, but sure enough someone did know of a parlour directly outside the walls that might still have equipment available. The main exits were all blocked by debris or enemy soldiers, so we usually escaped for provisions through the sewers. Objectively I thought it was pretty funny what lengths the two of us were going to for this, as much as re-routing to avoid the reality that we were at war was eating away at the mood.

Eventually we arrived at the place. It was deserted as expected, with the sign torn off. We probably wouldn't have known it was a tattoo parlour having not been told beforehand. The area outside the walls wasn't any safer than the inside of Heartland, but there were less patrols at least. I thought about how lucky we’d been not to run into an enemy while in that predicament. Perhaps our whole life’s worth of good luck had been channelled into those 20 minutes. That may be an exaggeration, but I could appreciate it.

I was brought back to my wits by the sight of our goal, a dusty looking group of needles hung neatly on a rack. Shun seemed to have studied the room more carefully, since he boldly announced “It looks like everything we need is here. Yes… this is good.”

I looked at him surprised, “Wait, you actually know how to do this stuff?”

“Not at all.”

“Then who exactly are we going to get to do it for you?!” I really hadn't been thinking about this part of the plan until now, even despite the fact that he'd asked me initially.

“Well… you are.” His voice was raspier than ever as he said that, nuanced as if it was both a question and a statement, or something obvious. No, it was obvious. Who else was going to? Shun definitely wasn't. “You were eager to have a go at it with the marker weren't you?” That was true, but it was a marker, if I didn't know what I was doing with this needle I could actually _hurt_ Shun.

“No, I can’t do that to you.”

“I trust you. If something goes wrong I’ll tell you,” he assured me with a deep sigh. Not that there’d be time to tell me if something did go wrong, but that first line really suckered me in.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

“Here we go.”

I’d managed to find some ointment by rummaging through the drawers and was currently rubbing it across the pinkish surface I’d vandalised earlier. I guess it had come off after all, because was now much closer in colour to his normal skin. It felt a little off, to be using this place so freely. I thought about leaving some money behind as compensation—not that we had any.

“Are you ready?” I asked, more nervous than I probably let on.

“Yeah, I’d appreciate it if you'd try not get it so messed up looking this time though.” My heart skipped a beat. His voice didn't have too much of an edge, but the fact that he _had_ noticed and I hadn't been able to see through him babying me made me upset. I usually could, and he was the one suffering for it.

Shun seemed to notice the change in demeanour, “Are you taking that seriously? I'm probably not one to talk, but just chill out Yuto, jeez.”

Did _Shun_ honestly just tell me to chill out? I wasn't even at a loss from the existence of his usual firecracker-like temper, but where did this come from, where did he learn such words.

Shun tried to say something else, but at that moment I switched on the needle and it let out a high pitched buzzing that drowned out anything else that might have come out of his mouth. I could already guess what he was trying to say though. I didn't need to think so hard about everything, I just had to watch what was in front of me. What was right in front of me was Shun’s butt. So I guess we’d start with that.

Under the chirping of the needle I muttered the “Thank you” I hadn't been able to give him before, then began.

It was rough. I was pretty sure you were supposed to take some kind of painkillers before, but we didn't have that luxury. Not to mention how sensitive the location was from all that scrubbing. I thought about using the other side, but that’d probably just result in both side's dismay. I’d never seen shun scream before and he bit down before it could get too loud, but that sure did happen.

As I continued he winced and took in so much air his body rose up and down every few seconds. “Hey,” I announced loud enough for him to hear, “try to keep still.” I’d realized I’d just subconsciously slapped his free cheek as I said that, lightly of course. Still embarrassing though. I hoped he hadn't noticed through the pain.

At this point the outline was done. It didn't look too bad. It was freehand though, so a little off-centre, but incomparable to the big red blotch I’d created with these hands once before. How were you supposed to fill it in? Maybe there was another needle, but I didn't know how to switch them, so I went on with the same red ink.

Filling in the whole design with what seemed to be a tip purely for outlining may not have been the greatest idea. I had to run over the same spots over and over to get it solid and I was pretty sure Shun’s teeth were going to shift inwards from all that clenching. By the time I was done it was slightly indented. Was that normal? Wouldn't matter now that it was done, but it didn't look bad. I admired my work, and the surface it was etched on.

\----------------------------------------------

It took a few days to heal, by day three Shun could sit on it. Not exactly no problem, but it wouldn't hinder him from seeing me off. Aside from a slightly noticeable hobble maybe. I was set to head off to Standard. There was nothing left we could do here. It had been pretty fun, or at least close to it from what I remembered of fun. Maybe I had needed this just as much as Shun did.

Shun was staying behind, but something told me this wouldn't be the last time I saw him. That feeling put me at ease. There was no basis for it, but I let it embrace me anyway. It felt good having him by my side. I wondered if he felt the same way. I felt like I was starting to get into the over-thinking again so I let it go, but as I turned away, I felt a swift strike to my rear end.

“Pay back.” He smirked, “now we’re even.”

I was in partial shock, but quickly covered my backside. I jested, “Now all you need to do is pay back that Fusion scum.”

“I’ll give them hell, don’t you _worry_.” Shun was so proud of himself, I couldn't bring myself to take the last word this time. I really had understood what he was trying to convey back at the parlour. I shrugged and turned back away.

Light engulfed me as I activated the travel function of my duel disk. I emptied my mind of thoughts about Shun’s derrière, and slowly filled it with the determination to do what I came to do.

 


End file.
